Article and photography by Joshua Fitzwater
Rina Estero, head chef at Nouvelle has garnered some deserved fanfare in recent months for her inventive fusion cooking. Having transplanted here from Austin Texas, she has brought her revolving menu with her that she informed me is “Inspired by the seasons and the weather”.
Rina Estero on smoke break outside of Nouvelle
Nouvelle, formerly the Grace Street Grille, is a quaint restaurant tucked away not far from Chrysler Museum on the edge of the Arts District in Norfolk. In part, it was that setting and Rina’s growing online foodie admirers that persuaded me to take a date there recently for an early dinner.
My date and I arrived to Rina and fellow chef and boyfriend Luke Brigham playfully ribbing each other behind the bar while cooking. I was honestly envious of their ease and playfulness with one another. After our orders were in, a group of four whom had just sat down next to us got right back up after some brief words with Luke and left. I would later come to find that Nouvelle has had some issues obtaining their liquor license. I can only imagine how that has affected business. I, however, was there to eat.
I started my meal with the 50/50 lamb and beef meatloaf. The lamb and beef combination worked well. The split ratio allowed the lamb taste to be present but not overpowering in the loaf. As is also the case with the ketchup, made in house at Nouvelle, the tomato based sauce for the dish was very fresh and tasted of the garden. Clearly, with meatloaf you’re not eating some- thing light, but I would have liked it to have been fluffier. I’m not sure what kind of bread crumbs were used as Rina is tight lipped with her recipes, but some type of spongy fresh bread applied may aid in making the dish lighter.
Chef Luke Inside Nouvelle
Full, but still in need of something to fully wrap up the meal, on a whim I ordered the butterscotch bread pudding. It’s often the unexpected moments in life that make it most worth living and trying this dessert was just one of those moments. Consuming this rustic dessert staple was simply amazing. If pressed, I could guess a combination of white and multigrain bread was incorporated in the recipe.The caramelization on the sides from the pan fry finish juxtaposed with the gooey caramel drizzle and wet – but not soggy bottom – made for simply divine bites. The dish’s components were balanced so well that I still got that brown sugar note in the slice even through the sugar-rich caramel drizzle. Without question, the bread pudding at Nouvelle stands up to some of the better desserts one can find locally at Todd Jurich’s or Chocollage.
I would find out while leaving Nouvelle, that it was Luke – not Rina – who makes the rotating dessert menu.This overlooked variable at Nouvelle is another reason to stop into Nouvelle and discover what local foodies are talking about online.
Nouvelle Restaurant
Location- 217 Grace St. Norfolk VA
Hours- 11am- 9pm
Price range- $8 to $20 meals
Genre- French/ American Fusion
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